FAIRHOPE, Ala.– Starting at 4:30 p.m. on Thursday, April 23, 2026, Fairhope High School guitar classes formed together in the Black Box to perform a setlist curated by the 2026 graduating class.
The Senior Farewell is an annual event that encompasses songs picked by seniors of that year’s graduating class. The songs chosen are meant to showcase the talents of the seniors, allowing them to close out their high school career on a high note.
“The idea of this concert is for the seniors to have their moment in the spotlight as their final ‘hurrah’ a part of the class of 2026,” said Michael Grifith, guitar teacher. “This has been a tradition. I think this is the fourth year so far and I plan to continue it as long as I can.”
Although sometimes misleading, students in guitar classes do not just play the guitar. Students are given the additional option to play the bass, drums, piano or sing. Daily rehearsal time during guitar class allows every student to fine tune their performance. Complimenting instruments give a multitude of opportunities for each student to play on their strengths.
“They did a whole lot. Choosing songs, listening to the songs, practicing the songs and then trying to work with their groups in order to fully recreate the song,” Griffith said.
Ending his high school career year with a bang, guitarist Charlie Harwell played his two songs “Mean Machine” by Sugar Ray and a cover of Don Henley’s “The Boys of Summer” by Ataris.
“This first song was a huge influence on me. I would grow up listening to it all the time. This song was something I would enjoy for hours a day, and the second song was actually a cover, but I really enjoyed listening to the song itself a lot,” Harwell said.
The last guitar performance including seniors was during 4th and 5th period on April 24. There will be one more showcase during the school year for the underclassmen to have their moment in the spotlight. The date is still to be determined.
